Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has insisted there will be no room for sentiment when Kenya take on his native South Africa in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.The two sides will meet in back-to-back Group F qualifiers in November, pitting the South African legend against Bafana Bafana, now managed by one of his former mentors, Pitso Mosimane.##NAJAVA_MECA_9980414##But with his focus now firmly on Kenya, the tactician says the encounters will give him a chance to show his country what he can do, especially after he was overlooked for the South Africa job.“For me, being born in South Africa, a beautiful country, a lot of love, and it will always have that, but I'm coaching Kenya, so there's no…it's my country, unfortunately,” he told Mozzart Sport on Wednesday.“My country didn't employ me, so why is my loyalty not with the country I was born in? The loyalty is to the team that believed in me, that gave me the opportunity, that thought that I was the one that can help them move forward in the right direction. That's where my loyalty lies.”Despite his determination to make an impression against Bafana Bafana, the former Manchester United coach acknowledges that Harambee Stars face a difficult assignment given the difference in pedigree between the two sides.McCarthy defends inclusion of suspended Gor Mahia duo in Harambee Stars“It’s gonna be difficult because South Africa has always been seen as a class A category; they are always in the pot with Morocco, Senegal, so they get the good draws, teams like Kenya in the lower end, so that will be very difficult,” he added.The coach, though, believes Kenya have already shown they can compete against more established opponents, pointing to their performances at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).Harambee defeated Morocco and DR Congo in the group stage of the tournament, results that he feels can provide the team with belief ahead of the South Africa tests.End in sight as Kariobangi Sharks, Mombasa United reach playoff breakthrough“But as I said, listen, what we experienced in CHAN and World Cup qualifiers,” he went on. “We played teams like Ivory Coast, Gabon, in Burundi where it was very hostile and we held our own; it was a valuable experience that we gained. It might not have been wins, but I think from where we started to where we finished, we have grown.”Stars begin their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign against Eritrea on Saturday before facing Guinea next Wednesday.They will then travel to face South Africa on 11 November before hosting Bafana Bafana in Nairobi four days later.
12